Persona 4 Arena's brand of 2D fighting is, at first glance, a far cry from its brilliant RPG forebear. Once players spend time with this intricately balanced and beautifully animated beat 'em up, though, they'll discover it's every bit as involving as its predecessor. Arena's incredibly deep story mode sees lead Yu Narukami drawn into another mystery in the parallel Midnight Channel world.

This time, it involves being forced to fight his friends. The battle system is remarkably complex, demanding mastery of blocks, attack breaks and counters, plus awareness of various power and health gauges. While far from entry-level, Arena will appeal to fans of the original Persona 4 and lovers of top-tier Japanese fighting games alike.